All News & Analysis

No separation in Texans' QB battle

Round 2 of the Houston Texans preseason quarterback battle took place Saturday night against the Denver Broncos, with Ryan Mallett getting the start after Brian Hoyer got the honors in the preseason opener last week.

A week after going 10-for-11 with no touchdowns or interceptions, Mallett went 5-for-7 for just 23 yards, with none of his seven attempts travelling further than eight yards through the air. He certainly didn't make any mistakes, but the conservative approach didn't lead the Texans to any points, either.

Hoyer didn't share the same conservative nature when he got onto the field, with his first throw of the night an incompletion that was the result of an overthrow on a go route 26 yards downfield. That being said, that throw was one of just three passes of 10 yards or more attempted by Hoyer, the only completion coming on a 13-yard hook up with Damaris Johnson with 44 seconds left in the first half.

If you were looking for a front-runner to emerge based on how they looked on the field on Saturday night you'll have come away disappointed, with neither putting himself forward enough as the ideal candidate. That was very much the case last year, as well, with Hoyer (-18.8 grade) in Cleveland and Mallett (-7.4) in Houston, failing to impress. At the moment, neither is playing like an above-average NFL starter.

All Featured Tools

Subscriptions

Unlock the 2023 Fantasy Draft Kit, with League Sync, Live Draft Assistant, PFF Grades & Data Platform that powers all 32 Pro Teams

$31 Draft Kit Fee + $8.99/mo
OR
$89.88/yr + FREE Draft Kit